This week, we’re focusing on travel! This is part three of a five part packing/prep series.
I’m halfway through my month-long vacation/late honeymoon in Spain. It’s my first time out of the U.S., so when packing, I wasn’t entirely sure what to bring. Besides checking the weather for the proper clothing, I was at a loss. Now that I’ve been in Europe for a bit, I am wiser. While I’m extremely happy I brought some things, I still accidentally left a few essentials at home. Here’s some tips for anyone else new to international traveling.
- Conservative clothing is best- no matter the time of year. A lot of tourist attractions are religious, and some have strict dress requirements to enter (ex. no exposed arms/low neck lines). It may seem inconvenient, but trust me it’s worth it! If you’re traveling during warmer months and are wearing less, keep a light cardigan handy.
- Bring your hair products! I was advised to skip packing my products and just buy them here. It made sense- TSA is famous for ruining beauty products. But if you’re a Naturalista like me, you won’t have much luck finding products. I can’t even find any coconut oil! Thank goodness there’s an abundance of olive oil in this area. Product wise, the best I’ve been able to do is Garnier Fructis- thankfully, I love that brand! Also, read ingredient labels carefully. A lot of the products I’ve seen in Barcelona contain keratin- and I don’t use that in my tresses.
- European Tampax is NOT the same as American Tampax… Another product I was told to buy here. If you have room in your luggage, I recommend packing your own. The two are slightly different from each other, and I’m not a fan of the differences. Also, all of the pad/pantyliners I’ve come across are scented. If you don’t like scented feminine hygiene products, bring your own.
- Bring a few games. You will have some sort of down time, and watching TV in a foreign language gets old. We brought Monopoly cards, regular cards, and dominoes. Perfect for quality time and it keeps you from getting bored.
- Comfortable shoes. You will do a LOT of walking. A LOT.
P.S. Don’t forget your adapters! Different parts of Europe use different outlets. Make sure you get a quality adapter.
Logical Mermaid 